NUR3101: Primary Health Care Strategy and Public Health in Australia

This report analyzes a key strategy from the National Primary Health Care (PHC) Strategic Framework in Australia, specifically focusing on improving access and reducing inequity. It examines how this strategy addresses social determinants of health like income, education, and access to services, and explores associated epidemiological factors impacting population health. The report evaluates the strategy's alignment with the WHO's principles of universal access and health equity, demonstrating its relevance to nursing practice by highlighting the nurse's role in addressing healthcare disparities. The report also references several key academic sources to support its claims and provide a comprehensive overview of the chosen strategy within the context of Australian public health.

NUR3101 Primary Health Care in a Global Context
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NUR3101 Primary Health Care in a Global Context
Select one current key strategy in the National PHC Strategic Framework and relate this to
one (1 only) public health issue in Australia.
One strategy in the National PHC strategic framework is strategic outcome 2 which is improving
access and reduce inequity. In Australia, primary health care is delivered through an integrated
system for providing high-quality care to address the gaps that exist in the country. However,
Australians are faced with the equity and inequality issues that affect the population (National
Primary Health Care Strategic Framework, 2013). Despite improvements that have been reported
in the health outcomes that are seen through efficient disease management, reduced mortality and
increased life expectancy there is a challenge in meeting the healthcare needs of the indigenous
population which is reported in the equity and equality between the indigenous and the non-
indigenous populations (Macri, 2016). Healthcare inequity in Australia is seen in the difference
between these populations where the life expectancy for the general population is 84 years while
the indigenous population expectancy is rated at 70 years. Further, there are also inequality and
affordability issues which are seen in the difference in the healthcare treatment differences
between the affluent people and less affluent ones.
Discuss how equity and social justice, the social determinants of health, are addressed in
your chosen strategy.
Social determinants of health define and shape access to health by people within the healthcare
system. Young & McGrath (2011) suggest that the most important social determinants of health
that are addressed by the framework are income, education, and access to health services. In the
framework, these determinants of health are addressed through a healthcare system model that
establishes long term relationships between the consumers and health care practitioner which in

turn leads to enhanced health and well-being. In this model, the healthcare process is enhanced
through the reduction of the access barriers that create difficulties for different groups to access
health in Australia. In this strategy, the focus of the government is to explore funding models to
ensure that safety and quality of healthcare are offered to all populations in the country. Through
this process, the healthcare system is offered as a whole where all the population is targeted to
address the gaps that arise due to status and access (Pholi, Black, & Richards, 2011). This
process is also used to explore the social justice element which ensures that the healthcare
system in the country reflects the needs of the population. For example, by addressing barriers to
access, the framework ensures that healthcare access and income barriers are reduced thus
increasing the healthcare outcomes of the whole population. The role of the Improve access and
reduce inequity strategic outcome is to ensure that there is an integrated system for providing
healthcare and at the same time addressing the challenges of access and inequity.
· Research and interpret the associated epidemiological factors relevant to the health
issue and summarise these, regarding the evidence.
The population health is depended on many factors that have been described by epidemiologists
as affecting the healthcare services that people receive. Gulis & Fujino (2015) suggest that this is
based on the population conditions that define the differences that exist in the population and
thus creating the social determinants of health within the population. The changing nature of the
Australian population presents conditions like the demographic characteristics of the population
like age, race and gender, income/status, education, availability of health care services and the
physical environment that populations live in can shape the level of access within the population.
This means that the epidemiological factors of access and equity exist within and outside the
patient populations. Knesebeck (2015) suggests that the lack of equity and equality in the

distribution of healthcare services creates access barriers that affect the level of access to some
groups while at the same time limiting others. For example, the elderly population presents
special needs as compared to the younger population while the indigenous populations have
special cases as compared to the general population. In a capitalist economy, the healthcare
system is defined by social inequalities between population groups that shape the access patterns
and the ability of the healthcare system to meet the needs of the population.
Evaluate your chosen strategy’s alignment to the WHO 5 key Principles of Primary Health
Care explaining which of the five it aligns to and how/ why.
The strategy aligns with the WHO principles of universal access to primary healthcare and the
commitment to health equity. The WHO principle of universal access care focusses on viewing
as a basic need that needs to be met by every Australian (WHO, 2003). This is reflected in the
National PHC strategic framework where the strategy has an action for exploring the funding
models to focus on population health as a way to improve primary healthcare received by the
populations (National Primary Health Care Strategic Framework, 2013). This is to ensure that
the primary healthcare funding model in the country is made as flexible as possible to
accommodate the varying needs and circumstances of the populations that are served by the
healthcare system in the country. The principle of commitment to equity is reflected in the
strategic action of promoting health system models that enable facilitation of long term
relationships between the consumer and the general healthcare practices to increase the
wellbeing of the population (WHO, 2019). Since Australia has been characterized by challenges
in access to healthcare especially in the older and the indigenous populations, then the focus on
equity is a way of providing a means that increases access to healthcare through a system that
reflects the varying needs of the population. This implies that the focus is to create a healthcare

environment that increases access to healthcare for different population groups within the
country.
Reflect on the relevance of the chosen PHC strategy to nursing practice, considering roles
and responsibilities.
The strategy improving access and reducing inequity is relevant to the nursing practice since it
creates an environment that allows the nurse to meet the needs of different population groups
within the healthcare system. Through the different actions, the nurse can deal with the different
issues in the population as a way of meeting the specific needs of the population. In most cases,
nurses fail to meet the primary healthcare needs of the populations that they deal with because
the healthcare environment that they work in lacks integrated services and quality care
frameworks. Thus as a nurse, this strategy is important to me since it addresses the barriers that
exist within the population. Since the ability to meet patient needs is reflected in a system that
allows the nurse to work comprehensively, then this strategy improves the roles and
responsibilities of a nurse in reducing inequality and inequity within the system.

References
Gulis, G., & Fujino, Y. (2015). Epidemiology, Population Health, and Health Impact
Assessment. Journal of epidemiology, 25(3), 179–180.
Knesebeck, O. v. (2015). Concepts of social epidemiology in health services research. BMC
health services research, 15(357).
Macri, J. (2016). Australia's Health System: Some Issues and Challenges. Journal of Health &
Medical Economics, 2(2).
National Primary Health Care Strategic Framework. (2013). National Primary Health Care
Strategic Framework. ommonwealth of Australia .
Pholi, K., Black, D., & Richards, C. (2011). Is ‘close the gap’ a useful approach to improving the
health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians? Australian Review of Public Affairs, 9,
1-13.
WHO. (2019). The world health report- Chapter 7: Health Systems: principled integrated care.
Retrieved from WHO: https://www.who.int/whr/2003/chapter7/en/index1.html
World Health Organisation (WHO). (2003). The World Health Report, shaping the future. WHO,
Switzerland. retrieved from: https://www.who.int/whr/2003/en/
Young, J., & McGrath, R. (2011). Exploring discourses of equity, social justice and social
determinants in Australian health care policy and planning documents. Australian
Journal of Primary Health, 17(4), 369-377.